Tray-board for duplicate whist



(No Model.)

F. AMES.4 TRAY BOARD PoR DUPLIGATE WHIST.

10.54.2348. Patented ,July 16, 1895.

INVENTOH W/ TNE SSE '8.'

A TTUHNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FISHER AMES, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TRAY-BOARD FOR DUPLlCATE WHlST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 542,748, dated July Application filed March 2, 18,95 Serial No. 540,278. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FISHER AMES, of New'- `ton, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful improvement in tray-boards for preserving for overplay the hands of the several players ata game of Whist, of which the following is a specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in which-f Figure 1 illustrates the preferred form ot my tray-board. Fig. 2 shows a modification.

My invention is a dat tray-board of sheet material composed of a body (1, preferably circular or rectangular, as shown, and four card-receiving projections a in opposing and regular positions, so as to be opposite to and convenient for the players, respectively, to fasten thereto or to remove therefrom their packets at the same time Without interfering with each other, and of a tapering form, Wider at the outer end and of the width of a common playing-card at the inner end, so that a string or band o used for fastening shall not slip up, and of the length of about one-halt the length of a common playingcard, so that said string or band shall not slip down, being prevented from doing so by meeting the shoulder formed by the projection a with the body a of the tra-y. By this construction the string or band b is made to pass and remain substantially across the middle ofthe packet and around over the inner' end of the projection a and about the-sides of the packet, thereby securely holding` .the packet to the flat tray, the junction ofthe projection a' with the body a. being in substance athicker card to which the cards of the packet are securely held by the band b, substantially as each card in the packet is held to the others.

Fig. 1 shows a tray with a circular shape. The packets dotted lines. Fig. 2 showsarectangular tray with the four projections at. the corners.

The corners of the projecting portions or card-sections cb are preferably rounded off, as shown in the drawings, in order to prevent their being bent or broken by striking the floor if dropped or otherwise subjected to a blow.

I am aware of the Patents No. 62,4518 to Paine & Sebring, dated November 3, 1891, and No. 514,302 to Butler, dated February 6,

. 1894, and I disclaim all that isshown in them,

for I do not claim duplicate whist; nor do I claim, broadly, a holder for four paclllets ot cards, as my invention resides in the combination of four peculiar holders, each a sheet of cardboard o'r the like, with a narrow portion or neck whose widthis that of a playing-card and whose length from the neck or narrow part outward is about half the length of a playing-card, the inner portions ot the four holders forming the body of the tray. This construction is wholly new with me, and is not only simpler and cheaper than anybefore known but is also practically better.

What I claim as my invention is The flat tray board of sheet material, composed of body a; four projections a, each ot' the width at its ,inner end of a playing card are shown in both figures in v and Wider at its outer end, and each of' about half the length of a playing card; and bands Z9 held -in place by the shape of the projections a and body a; all substantialty as and for the purposes specified.

' FISHER AMES.

Witnesses:

JOHN R. SNOW, H. P. GUIito. 

